Summit County EMA makes plea for personal protective equipment donations

Posted: 5:31 PM, Mar 18, 2020

Updated: 8:10 PM, Mar 18, 2020

AKRON, Ohio — The Summit County Emergency Management Agency is joining area first responders in making an urgent plea for personal protective equipment donations, including N95 masks to protect police officers, firefighters and healthcare workers from the coronavirus.

“This is not an overreaction. It’s absolutely time to take action,” said Green Fire Chief Jeff Funai. “We’re concerned. Do we have enough? That’s the big question. Do we have enough PPE? That is just an impossible question to answer because we don’t know how bad it’s going to be.”

Summit County EMA Director Tom Smoot is asking local doctors, dentists, veterinarians, construction companies and others to donate PPE by calling the Summit County Public Health COVID-19 Call Line at 330-926-5795. In addition to masks, the EMA is accepting swabs, gloves, goggles and medical gowns.

Those willing to help out will be given instructions on where to drop off the equipment, but the county is not divulging where any stockpile will be stored.